Radio station keeps area Liberians in tune with homeland
The northwest metro is home to a large Liberian community. Many of them will celebrate their country’s independence on Friday.
Two brothers are helping people in Minnesota and around the world stay connected to their homeland. A small Brooklyn Center office is home to TMZ Liberia radio. Hussein Fadiga and Hassan Fadiga started the online radio station in 2011 and it quickly grew.
“It started with just a facebook group, and chat room, and it just got huge,” said Hassan. “We have almost 300 cities around the world.”
The Fadiga brothers say they have more than 35,000 listeners in the United States and almost 80,000 worldwide. They play a variety of music. There are also several public affairs programs. The whole idea is to share Liberian news and culture.
“A lot of people here, don’t have any medium of getting information from Liberia,” said Hassan Fadiga.
“People just want to hear any sound. Whether it’s the music or the traditional music, the voice of someone, just someone on the ground telling them, ‘hey, this is what’s going on,'” said Hussein Fadiga.
The brothers are not only helping Minnesotans and the world to stay connected with Liberia, they’re also helping out with charities in their homeland. Hassan said he remembers what it was like living in the war-torn nation.
“Giving back is huge, because when you have experienced poverty and you come to America and you have the opportunity to better your life, one of the most joyful things is to give back,” said Hassan.
While running a radio station is hard work, the brothers don’t see it that way.
“We feel humbled, being able to spread information to our community,” said Hassan.
You can listen to TMZ Liberia online or download their mobile app. On Saturday, the station will have a special guest in studio: the Liberian minister of finance from 2 to 4 p.m.
Sonya Goins, reporting
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12 News is on Comcast cable channel 12 in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis and includes the cities Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.
BRAVO TMZ ..